CryptoRome Reconstructs A Virtual Society with Smart Contracts

Atlanta-based blockchain software solutions provider, GigLabs, have announced the launch of CryptoRome 2.0 to boost further adoption of blockchain technology within the gaming industry.

Built on the Ethereum blockchain using non-fungible tokens (NFTs), CryptoRome has created a virtual economy for its growing community of players, managed by smart contracts.

The game, which is set in ancient Rome allows the player to purchase resource producing villages. These resources can range from wheat to marble. All in-game items which include the villages themselves are uniquely designed by the developers as NFTs that give the players’ true ownership and real value. Players can actively influence the value of their assets by building on and improving the resource production of their village.

“We set out to build a fun game but also a self-sustaining economy with smart contracts as the foundation,” said Douglas Dimola, CEO of GigLabs. “In a sense, this serves as a case study for the construction of a virtual society. Our team is pushing the limits for what is possible in blockchain gaming.”

What are smart contracts?

A smart contract can be used to exchange anything of value in a transparent and secure way, without requiring a middleman. You can liken the technology to a car rental company, for example, someone rents a car and pays for it using cryptocurrency through the blockchain. The person who rents the car receives a receipt which is held within the virtual contract that both sides can see. The customer will receive an encrypted digital key by the designated date but if the key does not arrive by the said date, the blockchain will automatically trigger a refund. If the key is sent before the rental date, both the key and the money would be held until that pre-defined date. On the stated date, both the money and the key will be released to the appropriate person. After the date is reached the virtual contract is automatically cancelled. The contract cannot be altered without everyone involved in the transaction knowing about it due to the transparent nature of blockchain technology, which in turn increases the security of such transactions.

The proof of ownership that blockchain technology offers, allows the gamer within CryptoRome to earn real money over time as they improve their assets and sell them to other players. A village that has been developed on would be more valuable than a village with very little development. Every village even has its own GDP that changes with the state of the in-game market economy. Much like in the real world, the in-game market can fluctuate in value, as the virtual economy changes. To give an example of how much real money can be made, one CryptoRome player sold their villages and in-game assets for over $6,000 to another player.

“At its core, gaming is about having fun and taking you outside of your day to day. Blockchain gaming should be no different,” says Dimola. “Yet, the ability for a player to create value in their game assets is a clear advantage that blockchain gaming has over traditional games. CryptoRome plays to that strength.”

Blockchain technology among developer communities is growing at a rapid rate with the gaming industry leading the charge. A recent report from Dapp.com states that approximately 50% of all decentralized application development on the Ethereum network is from within the gaming industry.

“We’ve adopted the popular game designs of Settlers of Catan and Risk and brought those
elements and more to blockchain,” says Dimola. “We want our players to have fun building up their villages and compete in heated battles with other players, while benefiting from all of the advantages blockchain games can deliver.”

As CryptoRome continues to grow in popularity, so does the adoption of blockchain technology and smart contracts within the gaming industry. CryptoRome was designed as a world that allows its players to own, improve, manage, and sell their digital assets. Blockchain technology enables this type of next-generation gaming.